Sherry Bondy Retains Essex Mayorship After Defeating Trevor Menard

Resident Sherry Bondy will continue to lead the municipality of Essex for another four years. Unofficial results from Monday's election show she defeated challenger Trevor Menard in the mayoral race. Bondy, who first won the seat in 2022, received 5,288 votes. Menard gathered 2,206 votes. The margin between the two candidates was 3,082 votes.

Bondy served as the councillor for Ward 4 from 2010 to 2022 before moving to the mayor's chair. She described the election as a difficult contest involving many issues important to local people. She said she is ready to return to the council chamber to address the concerns heard during the campaign.

"I’m thrilled that the voters, you know, chose me to lead the municipality again," Bondy said. "It was a very challenging campaign, and there are a lot of issues that are important to people, and I can’t wait to bring those concerns and and issues back to the council chamber."

The mayor attributed her victory to the work completed during her first term. She argued that election results are based on four years of performance rather than the final six weeks of campaigning. She noted that the council saved money, invested in infrastructure, and improved communication with residents.

"Campaigns are not built on the last six weeks before the election, they’re built on the four years. People are seeing that this term of council, we’ve worked hard. We’ve pinched pennies, we’ve invested in infrastructure, we’ve worked to communicate, and all of that hard work over the last four years paid off tonight," Bondy said.

The new council includes a mix of new and returning members. Bondy noted that the group achieves gender parity, a situation she described as rare in Essex County. Rob Shepley, the acclaimed Deputy Mayor, will join the body. Katie McGuire-Blais and Joe Garon won the Ward 1 seats. Kim Verbeek secured the Ward 2 seat.

Bill Baker and Ron Rogers were elected for Ward 3. Rachael Mills won the councillor seat for Ward 4. Several sitting councillors lost their positions in this vote. Jason Matyi, the incumbent for Ward 3, and Rodney Hammond, the incumbent for Ward 4, were both unseated by their challengers.